Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park 2019 Plant List
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LEO CARRILLO RANCH HISTORIC PARK 2019 PLANT LIST PATRICIA LINTON AND MIKE BLANCO, PH.D. LCR DOCENTS 2019 LCR Plant List – FOR YOUR SAFETY, PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH OR EAT PLANTS 2019 PLANT LIST - LEO CARRILLO RANCH HISTORIC PARK PATRICIA LINTON AND MIKE BLANCO, PH.D. LCR DOCENTS INTRODUCTION The 2019 LCR Plant List was created as a resource for LCR Staff, Docents and Visitors with the goal of sharing information about plants as a means to connect with the natural beauty of the Ranch. When we identify plants and share their stories, we find ourselves focusing on details that we are otherwise apt to miss. Looking closely at a plant’s unique characteristics often leads us to a better understanding of the giant web of plant, animal and human inter-connectivity that grounds us all. Our roots are not as separate as we might think. Leo Carrillo loved the land and whenever he spoke about plants on the Ranch in his autobiography, his comments are noted throughout the Plant List. More than just a list of plant names and their location, many botanical concepts are explored such as flower structure and ecological relationships with pollinators, mutualism, commensalism and parasitism, specialized photosynthesis and convergent evolution to name a few. For a ‘conceptual approach’ rather than a ‘location approach’ to looking at the plants at LCR, see Appendix VI Botanical Concepts and Other Themes. We have made a sincere effort to identify these 105 plants but we do not presume to be botanical experts and welcome corrections. Please send suggested revisions and feedback to this email address: [email protected]. We want to thank the LCR Docents that participated in the ‘Plant Walk Arounds’ that helped create this document as well as the entire LCR Staff who were always so encouraging. We thank all of you who shared your plant expertise and suggestions with us, you will see your fingerprints all over this document—it was truly an LCR Docent driven project. Pat Linton and Mike Blanco LCR – June 2019 HOW TO USE ‘QR’ CODES The 2019 LCR Plant List is provided in print and web formats with ‘QR Codes’ to view pictures of the plants on your phone or tablet/computer. [A QR code (Quick Response code) is the trademark for a type of optical label that links to more information.] If you have an Android device and do not already have a QR Scanner application (app), you will need to download a ‘QR Reader’ app from Google Play Store. 1. Open the Play Store. 2. Search for QR code reader. 3. Tap QR Code Reader. 4. Tap Install. 5. Tap Accept. 6. Open QR Code Reader. 7. Line up the QR code in the camera. 8. Tap OK. If you have an Apple device, Open the camera app. Apple’s iPhones have built-in QR code scanning capabilities, so there is no need to download a separate scanning app. Since iOS 12, there is a direct QR code reader in the Control Panel. For both Android and Apple devices, aim the camera at the QR Code. The QR code doesn’t need to fill the entire screen, but all four corners should be visible. If your camera is too angled, the app may have trouble recognizing the code, so a straight-on approach is best. Once the QR code is visible in the phone camera, you may be asked to launch the scan by tapping ‘OK’ , ‘Scan’ or be required to tap the notification bar to initiate the link to the picture. ABBREVIATIONS Throughout the LCR Plant List, ‘PL #x’, ‘Plant List #x’, is used to refer to other entries within the Plant List. Cover Photo: Cleistocactus winteri, PL #43 - P. Linton Page 2 of 63 2019 LCR Plant List – FOR YOUR SAFETY, PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH OR EAT PLANTS 2019 PLANT LIST - LEO CARRILLO RANCH HISTORIC PARK PATRICIA LINTON AND MIKE BLANCO, PH.D. LCR DOCENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 3 of 63 2019 LCR Plant List – FOR YOUR SAFETY, PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH OR EAT PLANTS LCR PLANT LOCATION MAP - PLANT LOCATION CODES A. – M. PLANT INDEX BY LOCATION – APPENDIX IV Page 4 of 63 2019 LCR Plant List – FOR YOUR SAFETY, PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH OR EAT PLANTS Page 5 of 63 2019 LCR Plant List – FOR YOUR SAFETY, PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH OR EAT PLANTS Page 6 of 63 2019 LCR Plant List – FOR YOUR SAFETY, PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH OR EAT PLANTS Page 7 of 63 2019 LCR Plant List – FOR YOUR SAFETY, PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH OR EAT PLANTS Page 8 of 63 2019 LCR Plant List – FOR YOUR SAFETY, PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH OR EAT PLANTS Page 9 of 63 2019 LCR Plant List – FOR YOUR SAFETY, PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH OR EAT PLANTS Plant List Leo Carrillo Ranch Historic Park Patricia Linton and Mike Blanco, Ph.D., LCR Docents June 2019 1. Agave Agave americana LOCATION: A Century Plant Plant Family: Asparagaceae Sentry Plant Not native, a perennial herb/shrub, native to Mexico, New Mexico, Texas and Arizona.1 Lanceolate leaves (~ 3 feet-5 feet long and 6- 9 inches wide) are usually rigid and somewhat fleshy. They are normally bluish-grey (glaucous) to greyish-green in color. The leaf margins are coarsely toothed (serrated), with prickly teeth (a little less than a half inch long) borne at intervals of 1-3 inches. The leaves have a pointed tip (acute apex) topped with a large dark brown colored spine about a half in. long).2 There is a variegated3 species of this agave (Agave americana variegata) along Palm Lane (Location F). Agaves, Cacti, Aloes, Euphorbias, and Bromeliads are all succulents, a group of plants with thick, fleshy stems, leaves or roots designed to hold water to survive arid climates or soil conditions. Not all adaptations to the desert climate are visible to the naked eye. Plants make their own food, a sugar called glucose, thru a chemical reaction called photosynthesis which requires chlorophyll in the plant, water, carbon dioxide (CO2) and oxygen (O2). O2 and CO2 enter the openings/pores in the leaves called 'stoma'. If desert plants had their stoma open all day as do most plants, they would lose huge amounts of water thru these stoma and die. These plants have adapted a specialized form of photosynthesis first observed in the plant family 'Crassulaceae' and so named, Crassulacean Acid Metabolism (CAM). CAM plants are more efficient users of water and CO2 because they have adapted to 1) close their stomata during the day to further conserve water, 2) store CO2 gas as an acid called Malate overnight and 3) utilize the Malate as the carbon source for photosynthesis at daylight4 Remarkable! When leaves are scraped they are fiber filled. The SoCal Native Americans used the fibers for snares, clothing, baskets and fishing nets. The tall bloom stalks were hollowed out and used for quivers. The roots, flowers and seeds provided food to the four indigenous tribes of SoCal: Luisen͂o (pronounced ‘loo-ee-sane-yoh’), Kumeyaay (Ipai-Tipai, Diegueno)5 Cupen͂o & Cahuilla. The common name, Century Plant, is a bit of a misnomer. This plant typically blooms once every 10-30 years not every 100 years and then dies. Plants that die after blooming are called ‘monocarpic’. Agave and Yucca blooms arise from a tall stem called a 'quiote'. The A. americana quiote is tree-like in height. Agaves reproduce sexually via blooms and most, but not all, agaves can reproduce using ‘vegetative reproduction’. This means they send out 'pups' which are genetically identical offshoots or clones of the parent plant. Agave syrup is made from the Pina (heart) of several species (A. salmiana and A. tequilana) when they are 10-14 years old. The juice is filtered, then heated and concentrated to syrupy liquid. The main sugar is fructose. The alcoholic beverage Tequila comes from a different Agave species, Agave tequilana Weber var. Azul (PL #45). Agaves are often pollinated by bats (e.g., Leptonycteris nivalis). Current research into Agave medicinal uses include treatment of osteoporosis, diabetes and development of a biological skin to treat burns. The potential burn treatment uses the beaten Agave fibers to make a gel called 'agave bagasse'. Mezcal (or mescal) is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from any type of Agave or Yucca. The word Mezcal comes from Nahuatl (Aztec) 'mexcalli' which means ‘oven-cooked agave’. A saying attributed to Oaxaca regarding the drink is: "Para to do mal, Mezcal, y para to do bien, también-For everything bad, Mezcal, and for everything good as well." 2. Foxtail Agave Agave attenuata LOCATION: A Lion's Tail Plant Family: Asparagaceae Swan's Neck Not native, a perennial herb/shrub, native to central plains of Mexico. Leaves lack the sharp boarder teeth and spine tips of A. americana. Called 'Foxtail Agave' because the quiote drapes toward the ground looking like a fox's tail. It is used frequently in gardens because it lacks sharp edges. There is also a variegated3a species of Foxtail Agave. Page 10 of 63 2019 LCR Plant List – FOR YOUR SAFETY, PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH OR EAT PLANTS 3. Coral Aloe Aloe striata LOCATION: A Plant Family: Aloeaceae Not native. Native to South Africa. This is a small stemless aloe. The Coral species name, ‘striata’, means ‘stripes’, and refers to the long lines (sometimes very faint) on its blue-green leaves. The leaves of this Aloe are not toothed, but have a smooth pink margin. There are many aloe hybrids. The Aloes under the Coast Live Oak Tree (PL #5) are thought to be Coral Aloe due to the shape of their flower cluster and faint lines on the leaves.